Fall is for fishing small

Vance McCullough

Maybe not in terms of lure selection.
Big baits still catch big bass.
Smaller lures catch numbers; sometimes big bass among them.

But when it comes to lake selection, I like to go small in the fall. I pick little pothole ponds, swamps swollen with October rainfall or the back ends of flooded creeks where curios bass seek out terrestrial prey washed in during our wettest month.
I live in the deep, deep South along the Florida/Georgia border where November brings those chilly temperatures – daytime highs in low 80’s as opposed to nearly 90 degrees. Shortened days cool the water just the same and our fish do as most around the country do this time of year.

They roam.

That’s why I like small waters.

On the nearby St Johns River baitfish can be here today but gone tomorrow. Bass will often follow. I have to cover miles in search of the meandering schools, or I’ll likely do a lot more fishing than catching. That’s how it goes on the big water. But on my favorite little landlocked pond, tucked away beneath towering pines and blushing maples with bright red holly berries clumped behind stands of cattails, I have only a few acres to sort through in search of active fish. Among the reasons anglers enjoy fall fishing is the simple fact that many of their number have taken to hanging on tree stands in the hunting woods, and the ski boat navy has retired for the year.

Solitude is bliss.


To completely get away from the crowds, go to places that are less travelled to begin with. This is best accomplished via kayak or some small boat able to be dragged through the woods or up the streams beyond the reach of motorboats. Dumb, hungry fish feasting up like a family at the Thanksgiving table will make for a memorable trip. Water depth in such places is limited so tackle selection can be as well.
Take fun stuff – fast-moving topwater plugs and things that splash or spin. Keep moving. There are no suspended fish in three feet of water. I fish so shallow this time of year that the top is the bottom, and I can cover both on the same cast.
Yesterday, while bank fishing, I had a porty two-pounder blast my surface plug almost beneath my feet. The hookset swept him onto the bank in one swift, rod bending motion as braided line screeched in protest.

What the fight lacked in duration it made up for with intensity. I was reminded of one of my favorite quotes, “Those who have never horsed them have no idea what they can make you feel,” – Ernest Hemingway. Esteemed as much for his prowess with rod as with word, Hemingway was talking about trout fishing where the practice of hauling fish out in inglorious fashion was frowned upon by ‘sporting’ men. As did Hemingway, who was known to step outside a bar and brawl with bare knuckles on occasion, I enjoy a good fight, especially from a fish.

The bass, too, is a deep bellied bar room brawler looking to whoop some bait. It’s America’s fish for good reason. Quick and mean, the bass is that guy who could ‘win a fight in a phone booth’ or run you down from a block away. I’ve found that I can’t reel too fast this time of year. Speed triggers bites. If not, then I’m fishing in the wrong place and I need to move until I find feeding fish because, somewhere, they are chewing. Again, this is much easier to do on small waters where the fish are hemmed in and can’t swim to the next county. By eliminating variables (such as where fish are located and how deep they are positioned) you are controlling variables so you can focus the very few remaining variables (most notably, the speed of your retrieve).

This fall spend less time looking for a fight and more time scrapping with bass. Pick a fight in a phone booth.